


This is not a test...

by mortenavida



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Purge (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Purge Fusion, Cap didn't freeze for this shit, Gen, No actual violence, Not Beta Read, Purge Night (The Purge)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:33:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23483173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortenavida/pseuds/mortenavida
Summary: When Steve came out of the ice, a lot had changed for the world. He didn’t have time to learn all of it before Loki attacked New York, and he had less time after while he helped clean up the streets of New York. Now he’s noticed something strange -- people are stocking up on supplies of all kinds. And what is this Purge Holiday?
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 15
Kudos: 25





	This is not a test...

**Author's Note:**

> I recently binged _The Purge_ TV series. Blame that. Also, any knowledge I have of the Purge universe comes from the first season of the series, _Election Year_ , and _The First Purge_. I know it’s nation-wide since the first one takes place in California, but I’m keeping it to two of the New York islands for now. Also apparently the date of the Purge is March 21st, but I’ve also kind of adjusted that for this.

Steve eyed the businessman in front of him at the store, not quite sure  _ why _ the man thought he needed four different kinds of hammers and a case of duct tape. It wasn’t any of Steve’s business, though, so he kept quiet while the overly-cheerful woman behind the counter finished the transaction. Steve had been coming to this hardware store since he found it, liking the layout of the store more than anything else, but he had never once seen the staff look so strained -- even in the height of the clean-up from Loki’s attack.

When it was his turn, Steve stepped up the counter and set down a box of nails and a few shelves. Tony had offered him a place in the tower and while Steve trusted him to an extent to decorate it, he had convinced the billionaire to let him do it himself. The long process of making the space his relaxed Steve after working on some rebuilding project (as odd as that had sounded to the others).

The clerk at the counter -- Samantha -- arched an eyebrow at him as she rang up his items. “Planning something interesting?” she asked, turning the nails over before bagging them.

“Just a shelf.”

“Haven’t heard of that one before.” She leaned against the counter while Steve counted out the cash. “You’ll have to tell me how it turns out.”

“I can ... bring pictures?”

Samantha made a face, taking his money to count out change. “I’d rather you not. Descriptions are plenty for me, thank you.”

Who wanted a description of a shelf on a wall? Steve took back his change before gathering his things. “Will do, ma’am.”

A soft blush covered her cheeks as she waved him away. “I’m not  _ that _ old. Have a great evening!”

Steve gave her one last look before heading back out onto the streets of New York. It wasn’t a long walk from the store to the tower and Steve enjoyed being on the busy streets. The path he took also let him skip Times Square -- a place he actively avoided since waking up in this new world. Too many advertisements, too much color -- it was just  _ too much _ . And ever since the disaster that was Loki, he avoided most things that involved the news. The one time he did happen to catch a report, the anchor couldn’t stop talking about his uniform and how tightly it clung to him.

_ It’s indecent _ , he had said.  _ This is supposed to be America’s icon and it looks like someone pulled a dancer from the off-broadway Captain America musical _ .

Oh, yeah. Apparently he was a popular musical, of all things.

So Steve avoided any sources that would make him feel worse for existing and kept to the growing list of movies and shows the team kept throwing at him. Next up was  _ Star Trek _ and he was hoping Tony wouldn’t mind sitting down with him for it. The previews he saw made it seem high-tech and while he was sure he could understand it, he wanted someone there to be sure. And also someone to be there who wouldn’t tease him too much for asking potentially stupid questions -- that left Clint out.

The archer still hasn’t let him live down his inability to work a waffle iron and letting the dough burn.

Something just seemed different about the city, though. He passed a few businesses closing up -- pulling down black, solid gates that he hadn’t seen before. One even had a sign taped to it that said, “Down with the NFFA - Down with the PURGE!” Steve stared at it for a moment before moving on, deciding to look into what it meant later.

Arriving at the tower got even stranger. Several more guards than usual stood outside. They nodded to Steve as he walked in, one speaking into his wrist while saying the Captain had returned. Frowning, he stepped into the private elevator and leaned against the wall.

“Jarvis?” He looked up -- a habit he doubted he would ever break. “Has Tony added more security for a reason?”

‘ _ Sir has always intended to include more security to the tower and its residents during the annual Purge Holiday _ .’

“The what holiday?”

The quiet of the elevator lasted almost until they reached the top. Then Jarvis said, ‘ _ I have alerted Sir and he is available to explain the holiday to you in the common room _ .’

Because that didn’t sound at all ominous. Steve let Jarvis stop him on the communal floor, though he left his shelving supplies in the elevator. As it was the Avengers private elevator, nobody would touch them. Sure enough, Tony came around from the bar and motioned for Steve to take a seat near the newly fixed windows.

“Have a seat, Cap. You aren’t going to like this,” he said before settling himself on one end of a couch. “Want something to drink first?”

“Thanks, but I’m good.” Steve took his own seat, though he kept to the edge, elbows resting on his knees. “What’s the Purge Holiday?”

“Okay, so first? I would have told you before if I knew SHIELD hadn’t debriefed you on this. It’s been pretty standard for a while now, but it’s a huge deal in this part of New York. Jarvis, pull down my maps.”

Several maps flickered in front of Steve -- the islands of New York were highlighted, though only Staten Island and Manhattan were colored red; Long Island was yellow. Steve eyed Brooklyn for a while before looking back to Tony.

“It started with Staten Island,” Tony said after finishing his drink. “The Purge was a social experiment, apparently. For twelve hours, all crime was legal.”

“All of it?”

Tony nodded, face grim. “All of it, Cap. Hundreds of people die every year during it. The only official rules are certain government officials are off-limits, and high-class weapons are forbidden. Class 4 they call it, though not everybody follows that rule.”

“What’s--”

“Nukes, chemical weapons, missiles...” Tony shrugged. “Nothing that causes mass casualty at once. Grenades, bombs, and flame-throwers are supposed to be banned, but nobody really cares. I’ve seen a guy get pushed out a window by a flame-thrower.”

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why would they  _ approve _ this?”

“According to the NFFA’s research, it helps.” Tony stood, pacing across the room. “They’ve been on my ass to join them for years.”

“What--”

“New Founding Fathers of America. A bunch of rich assholes who think they’re better than everybody else.” Tony went to the maps. “They added Manhatten to the Purge about three years ago. Right after I bought the area for this damned tower. They’re talking about Long Island next year.”

“We have to do something.” Steve stood, stepping through the holographic map to come face-to-face with Tony. “We can’t just...  _ I _ can’t just sit here and watch as people kill each other.”

“You want to face the government on that front? I’ll support you, Cap, but it isn’t going to be easy or pretty. There’s always some political official trying to stop the Purge, but they always end up dead on Purge Night.”

“Tony,  _ please _ .”

“Look, the tower is a safe zone and everybody knows it. Anyone who can’t afford to get off the island comes here and we house them for the night. That’s all I can do. For now.” Tony backed away from Steve, hands in his pockets. “Iron Man is considered way above a Class 4, so I’d be arrested and tried the next day if I even attempted to take him out.”

“And the others?”

Tony’s lips quirked. “You want to send the Hulk out there? No, Bruce won’t do it. I had to convince him the tower was safe before he would even attempt to stay during the Purge. Our two Wonder Assassins are running a triage unit, I think.”

“Won’t they be in danger? I mean, I’m sure they’ll be fine, but...”

Tony shook his head. “Unwritten rule of the night. Triage units are off-limits. Each district has their own traditions they follow, but that seems to be across the board.”

Steve clenched his jaw, fists clenched at his side. He couldn’t just sit here and do nothing, but his knowledge of medicine was appalling -- his mother would be ashamed. “Do you think my shield is classified as anything?”

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it as he thought. His head tilted and, without asking, a new hologram came up with the stats on the shield. He smiled before flicking it away. “Looks like your shield hasn’t been classified as anything. What did you have in mind?”

“We protect people. No killing, but maybe we get any of these...”

“Purgers,” Tony supplied.

“Yes, we get these Purgers to an area where they can’t hurt anyone else. We can let them go when it’s over.”

Tony rubbed at his chin. “Not a bad idea. J, can you relay that to Barton? See if he and his spider wouldn’t mind joining us?”

‘ _ Of course, sir. _ ’

Tony stepped up to Steve, a feral grin on his face. “Guess I should go start packing what we’ll need. I’ll drive, they’ll help fix people up, and you take down the assholes.” He held out his hand to Steve.

A sudden alarm blared through the tower. ‘ _ This is not a test... _ ’

Steve didn’t have to think about the “what ifs” anymore -- it was now or never. He reached out and grasped Tony’s hand. “Let’s do it. And Tony? Tomorrow, we start taking the system down.”

‘ _ This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge, sanctioned by the U.S. Government... _ ’


End file.
